Countdown on for REaDY Summit 2014

April 17, 2014

Only one week left to register

Richmond, BC — Richmond's youth will lead the way at the third annual Richmond Earth Day Youth (REaDY) Summit on Saturday, April 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at R.A. McMath Secondary School, 4251 Garry Street. High school students from the City of Richmond and the Richmond School District's Green Ambassadors program have organized a morning full of fun, educational and engaging free workshops that everyone can participate in.

"The City is dedicated to being a leader in sustainability," said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. "Our youth are an important piece of that equation. We are proud of the work they are doing to engage Richmond residents and other interested parties from across the region to bring awareness to the importance and well-being of the Fraser River."

"The Richmond Earth Day Youth Summit unites our city," said Jamie Ng, 2014 REaDY Summit co-chair. "It aims to eco-stimulate the community to share and exchange ideas and initiatives about environmental sustainability. Richmond's youth and the Green Ambassadors aspire to show how we are all one with nature, like the Fraser River network."

This year's summit theme is We are the Fraser, nə́c̓aʔmat ct, We are One, to celebrate the Fraser River, its estuary and traditional First Nations knowledge. Fifteen workshops are being offered to Summit attendees, broken down by age categories: kindergarten to Grade 7, Grade 8 and up, and all ages.

Workshop topics are wide-ranging. Participants can choose to discover the hidden life of the Fraser River estuary and find out what kinds of critters are lurking in the area. They can learn about the cedar tree and its importance for First Nations and Aboriginal people, as well as learn how to twine an inner cedar bark bracelet. Participants can also take in a documentary film about a carbon-neutral vegetable oil-powered bus as it travels through B.C. and Alberta on a mission to understand Canadian resource extraction projects and their effects on surrounding communities.

While the summit is youth-led with a youth focus, all Metro Vancouver residents — no matter what age — are encouraged to register and participate in the workshops. Please register at www.readysummit.ca.

Before the workshops begin, the event will start with a keynote speech by David Suzuki, an award-winning scientist, author and broadcaster, who is also a long-time volunteer and environmental activist.

"By putting our environment first, I can't wait to share how we can ensure our precious Fraser River will continue to sustain us for generations," David Suzuki said.

To accommodate the maximum number of participants of all ages from cities across the region, the first part of the day's program, which includes the keynote speech and a Musqueam ceremonial opening, will be standing-room only.

Remote sites have been set up across the province for students and families to join the REaDY Summit via weblink. Students and families in Smithers, Prince Rupert and Nakusp have already signed up. Surrey residents can also join the first part of the event at Kwantlen Polytechnic University's Surrey campus. Kwantlen will provide a live webcast of David Suzuki's keynote speech and his dialogue with the summit participants.

This year's REaDY Summit aims to be a low-impact event by trying to achieve a 76 per cent waste diversion rate with plastic and organic waste recycling. Participants are encouraged to bring their own water bottles and take public transit or bike to the summit. TransLink will provide extra bus service to and from Brighouse station on event day.

The David Suzuki Foundation's Queen of Green, Lindsay Coulter, is also inviting participants to help tackle waste by bringing unwanted small household appliances and burnt-out light bulbs of all varieties to the summit. LightRecycle and ElectroRecycle will be on-site and will collect and keep e-waste out of our landfills and waterways. For a list of accepted products, please visit www.lightrecycle.ca/consumers/accepted-products and www.electrorecycle.ca.

The third annual REaDY Summit was created through a partnership between the City of Richmond, Richmond School District, David Suzuki Foundation and, new for 2014, Musqueam First Nation. The event is sponsored by Harvest Power, Nature's Path Foods and Vancity. Media sponsors are the Richmond Review, Fairchild Radio (AM 1460 and FM 96.1), Fairchild Television, Fairchild Talentvision and 24 Hours. Audio/visual support is provided by Cisco.